A Marcal Paper Mills machine operator had his lunch cut short as fire alarms blared and black smoke began to fill the building Wednesday afternoon during the devastating eight-alarm fire.

Samuel Hall, who has been a machine operator at the paper factory for three years, recalled the moment he heard the alarms while on his lunch break. The response from supervisors was delayed, as they were all in a meeting, he said.

Hall finished his lunch and saw other workers coming to the front of the inside of the building. Then supervisors gathered everyone in the cafeteria to do a head count, he said.

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This recording of a live video broadcast by NorthJersey.com shows portions of the famous and historic Marcal Paper Products building complex burning down on Jan. 30, 2019.
Michael V. Pettigano and Paul Wood Jr., North Jersey Record

As Hall and the other workers evacuated the building, they could see the fire and smoke building, he said.

"[The fire] got worse and worse," Hall said.

After everyone was outside, the fire grew too large, and they realized they had to leave the compound.

The fire tore through the 45,000-square-foot warehouse building, which acts as a distribution center for Marcal paper products. The flames consumed the building, and firefighters battled the intense heat of the flames amid the searing cold of the night.

The warehouse held large paper rolls that are used to make toilet paper, paper towels and tissues.

The eight-alarm fire would eventually engulf the building and consume the entire site.

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At their Number 11 paper machine, Marcal Chairman Robert Marcalus is flanked by son Peter Marcalus and grandson Michael Bonin with a freshly made jumbo roll of tissue, pictured in 2002. Photo courtesy of Peter Marcalus